Converting practice ground form to the course

So I bought new clubs recently, and have been hitting the range with them a bit. On Sunday I was striking the ball really really well on the range before the monthly medal. Was very please with how things were going with a range of clubs.

Then I got out on the course and... disaster. Having been nailing the 3 wood on the range, I topped one and caught another so far off the toe it was nearly a fresh air, ball straight OOB. Again was hitting my 4 and 5 iron really well on the range, but got out on the course and could not stop hitting the ball right off the toe, which resulted in these really limp low hooks.

I'm assuming this is a problem with the mental side of my game. I didn't really expect anything from the round from the outset so it's not as if it was some high pressure situation. Has anyone had this issue, and were you able to do anything about it?

Keano

How weird you should bring this up. Was at the range last night and got talking to my pro - he said that while practising is brilliant that you need to mix it up. He calls it block and random practice. Block being where you work on specifics and random being you try different shots, different clubs. So what if you hit a bad shot with random practice, you just change the club, pick a target and hit. You never get a second chance on the golf course so that you need to practice that too!

alxmorgan

Keano wrote: »

How weird you should bring this up. Was at the range last night and got talking to my pro - he said that while practising is brilliant that you need to mix it up. He calls it block and random practice. Block being where you work on specifics and random being you try different shots, different clubs. So what if you hit a bad shot with random practice, you just change the club, pick a target and hit. You never get a second chance on the golf course so that you need to practice that too!

This ^^^

You never get the chance to hit two drivers in a row (unless you lose the first )
So when you start nailing your driver by the 15th drive it is useless to you. (unless working on a swing change in which case block practice can be good)

You need to practice more like you play.
Play the course on the range. So I would 3 wood off tee at our 1st,
Depending on how well I hit shot I might hit 8 or 9 iron then and so on.
Go through full pre-shot routine before every shot...no more rake and hit.

This book highly thought of:

http://www.adamyounggolf.com/#!buy/ci0u

Guys that is an awesome idea. Exactly what I'll do next time, I'll play a fake round on the practice ground.

thegolfer

Some golfers are great at practicing, however this can be simply hitting shot after shot, without necessarily thinking about it.

If you practice, limit it to 20 shots, but make the practice very high quality, short sessions, and take the real playing to the course.

Range is great to practice, but be a playing golfer not a practicing golfer..you'll learn more on the course than range..

thegolfer

thegolfer wrote: »

Some golfers are great at practicing, however this can be simply hitting shot after shot, without necessarily thinking about it.

If you practice, limit it to 20 shots, but make the practice very high quality, short sessions, and take the real playing to the course.

Range is great to practice, but be a playing golfer not a practicing golfer..you'll learn more on the course than range..

No worries there, having been on hiatus I play golf at least once a weekend now. I use the range before I go out though, and I'm just trying to figure out why my ball striking particularly with my irons is so much better on the range than on the course.

slingerz

Brady Gentle Locust wrote: »

No worries there, having been on hiatus I play golf at least once a weekend now. I use the range before I go out though, and I'm just trying to figure out why my ball striking particularly with my irons is so much better on the range than on the course.

Are you striking off mats or off grass? May make a difference with how they are going on the range

slingerz

slingerz wrote: »

Are you striking off mats or off grass? May make a difference with how they are going on the range

Grass. I try not to give myself nice fluffy unrealistic lies too.

benny79

alxmorgan wrote: »

This ^^^



This book highly thought of:

http://www.adamyounggolf.com/#!buy/ci0u

How do you find this book alxmorgan? I'm contemplating getting it, but have 2 other ones on my wish list & currently reading another one. Starting to get a collection of golf books and maybe a problem! have all the Rotella ones & read them. starting to think none of them make a difference! and I'm destined to be ****!

alxmorgan

benny79 wrote: »

How do you find this book alxmorgan? I'm contemplating getting it, but have 2 other ones on my wish list & currently reading another one. Starting to get a collection of golf books and maybe a problem! have all the Rotella ones & read them. starting to think none of them make a difference! and I'm destined to be ****!

Haven't read it myself. Trying to limit the golf spending
Comes highly recommended by some high profile golf people I would trust though

benny79

yea a lot of people are recommending it but get the feeling there people in his circle! could be wrong though

Uncle Ben

benny79 wrote: »

How do you find this book alxmorgan? I'm contemplating getting it, but have 2 other ones on my wish list & currently reading another one. Starting to get a collection of golf books and maybe a problem! have all the Rotella ones & read them. starting to think none of them make a difference! and I'm destined to be ****!

I'd slow down a bit if I were you. Over the last number of years my handicap has increased significantly as my collection of golf books has got larger.
I've two crystal trophies from winning Presidents prizes in 2008 and 2009 and in an endeavour to get even lower than the 16 I was playing off I started buying golf books so as to further improve.
Since then however I can't find a grip I'm comfortable with, I don't know whether to use the hinge and hold or clock chipping methods. I'm trying to draw the ball and their slicing right or else I'm trying to fade a ball and it's going straight and normally straight left out of bounds! And as for preshot routines, I've normally a 100, to go with my usual 100 strokes.
In frustration last Sunday, I walked off after 12 holes and went home got every golf book and magazine I had and put them in bags and on Monday I dumped them in the local recycling centre.
I'm taking a couple of weeks off and then going to get some lessons.
Be careful Benny and don't choose too many books, it can all get confusing.

awec

Keano wrote: »

How weird you should bring this up. Was at the range last night and got talking to my pro - he said that while practising is brilliant that you need to mix it up. He calls it block and random practice. Block being where you work on specifics and random being you try different shots, different clubs. So what if you hit a bad shot with random practice, you just change the club, pick a target and hit. You never get a second chance on the golf course so that you need to practice that too!

Just back from a lesson tonight and the pro said the exact same thing.

Also said those automatic tee machines can actually be a hindrance cause you don't have to go through the motions for every shot.

He told me to sometimes put the balls a few steps away from the mat, so that every shot you have to go pick up a ball and then drop it instead of placing it. Forces you to slow yourself down and also forces you to properly address the ball every time like you would on the course. More realistic practice.

spacecoyote

As mentioned before, playing a round on the range in your head is a good way. Remember, if you slice the ball & you know that it would be in the trees & you'd have to hit sideways, you should play a low pitch out with your range shot too!

What you need to do is think of ways to make your practice competitive/pressurised.

So for short game try picking a target on the range, say 40 yards away. For round 1,You get 5 shots at it & have to get 1/5 inside a 5 yard square of it (some ranges will have an area marked out). Round 2, you have to get 2/5 inside it, etc...until you have to get 5/5. It's amazing how much pressure it can build if you've got 1 shot left & you have to hit the target.

Once you fail in a round, you have to move on to something else, you can't just start again.